The Irish were on course for an upset victory over Bangladesh when they held the hosts to 205 runs in their opening match. But a batting collapse saw a side featuring several players with English county sides lose by 27 runs.
“It’s no secret our batting let us down,” he said. “We can’t afford to give away wickets like that and it’s just a matter of being ‘cricket-smart’. Nothing dramatic has to change. We’ve just got to be a bit more ruthless with the bat.”
Porterfield insisted there would be no hangover from a morale-sapping loss.
“I think it’s pretty much gone now, mentally. I think the day after the game and that night the lads were pretty gutted.”
Strauss confident ahead of clash
England captain Andrew Strauss wants his side to build on their thrilling tie against India when they face Ireland in a banana-skin clash.
Strauss, who has admitted in the past that England tend to up their game against better teams, saw his side make a sluggish start to the tournament with an unconvincing win over the Netherlands. But a major concern for England has been the form of senior fast- bowler James Anderson, whose 9.5 overs against India yielded one wicket for 91 runs. It was the most expensive World Cup analysis by any England bowler.
“Opening the bowling out here is hard work, and bowling most of your overs in Powerplay is not easy,” said Strauss. “Jimmy’s got a lot of skills. Anyone who writes a guy of that quality off is pretty naive.”
Broad returns to England training
Stuart Broad returned to England training on Tuesday after several days in bed with a stomach bug and is in contention to play against Ireland.
“Broad took part in training and then bowled in the nets, but we will see how he pulls up in the morning,” said an England spokesman.
Bell endorses Gooch
England’s Ian Bell has hailed the influence of batting coach Graham Gooch, saying he wished he had worked with him earlier in his career.
“He has been fantastic for me since he has come back,” said Bell.
“He is someone I wish I had worked with a lot earlier in my career. I can’t speak highly enough of him. The experience he brings into our unit is something we can’t replace.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 2nd, 2011.
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